Few people could have predicted at the beginning of the season that Manchester United would not only win against Liverpool but also be in the lead by several points by the beginning of October.

But that is exactly how things stand after eight games for both teams, with Erik ten Hag's reorganized squad pulling ahead of their competitors by five points and five places after the weekend's games.

Klopp's tinkering and changes have left it unclear when and how Liverpool will end their losing streak. On the other hand, Ten Hag's strategic masterplan is crystal clear and is starting to take shape.

It is a question that, at the beginning of the campaign, very few people even considered worthy of asking, but as a result of this, it has sparked debates over who will finish higher in the table this season.

Given the dramatic shifts that have taken place, we asked our writers a straightforward question: who, between Manchester United and Liverpool, do you think will end the Premier League season in a higher position?

Darren Lewis
Although no one can say with absolute certainty, based on their recent performance, Liverpool appears to be placing an excessive amount of pressure on themselves. They are able to score goals, and they will continue to do so, but Jurgen Klopp does not appear to have a solution to their defensive crisis.

You have no choice but to use Virgil van Dijk, for instance, when you go up against Manchester City the following weekend, despite the fact that he has played as uncharacteristically poorly as anyone else. It would appear that the members of Liverpool's strongest lineup are still feeling the effects of the demanding season they endured the previous year, during which they participated in all 63 of the games they were eligible to play.

They have now let the opposition score first in six of the last eight games they've played. They are not contributing to their teams, they are not playing with enough intensity, and they require a rest, both mentally and physically. It is obviously way too early to say with any degree of certainty where any team, other than City, will finish in the standings.

But things aren't looking good at all for Liverpool right now.

Liverpool still struggles after losing to Arsenal at the weekend.

The Cross, John
Will Manchester United finish ahead of Liverpool in the standings this season? Absolutely not.

Liverpool's campaign got off to a rough start, but the team is still on track to finish in the top four, which will be enough to put them ahead of Manchester United on its own.

Although Erik ten Hag is doing a good job of getting results out of a team that is going through transition and is in desperate need of substantial reinforcements, Liverpool's performance at Arsenal would have unquestionably been enough to overcome Manchester United.

It has been an uncharacteristically dismal start to the season for Liverpool, whose manager, Jurgen Klopp, is in the process of rebuilding pieces of his team.

The issue that can't be ignored is in the middle of the field. They are currently attempting to make it function using a new system in the midst of injuries and a lack of the appropriate balance in there. However, once they figure it out, the results they were hoping for will materialize.

At Arsenal, Liverpool had some encouraging signs, and on another day, they might have drawn or even won the game. They have still only lost three games, which is one fewer than United, and if they can turn some of those draws into victories, it will help them climb the table.

Mark Jones

No, although at this point it's probably more because United still hasn't entirely convinced anyone that they can put together a regular run than anything else. It is acceptable that Erik ten Hag and his new team are experiencing a transitional season at this point in time.

As for Liverpool, history says that things will turn sooner rather than later, although it is now a case of just how long Jurgen Klopp continues to play with a formation that seems audacious at best and totally irresponsible at worst.

Yesterday, it was a remarkable sight to see all four attackers stationed in a line halfway inside the Arsenal half. A confident team like the Gunners was able to beat the press and then spring onto two central midfielders who are both over the age of 30 and are being asked to do enormously difficult jobs. It was a remarkable sight.

The injuries to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz, if they are as serious as Klopp has suggested they are, might force the manager to revert to a more tried and tested system that allows his side to solidify. This is an ironic possibility given that Klopp has suggested that the injuries are serious.

At the moment, they are providing continuous encouragement to their adversaries, and they won't make any progress until they stop risking such a large amount for such a small potential gain.

Recent games have highlighted Jurgen Klopp's unconventional methods.

Alex Richards

After the first two games of the season, few people would have predicted that Manchester United would be five points clear of Liverpool just six games later. However, that is exactly what has happened. But despite that, here we are.Klopp's tactical tinkerings - why is Mo Salah so wide and so distant from goal? - have not quite had the desired effect so far for Liverpool, who have only won twice so far, while Ten Hag's techniques are starting to take root at Old Trafford, where United has won five of their previous six league matches.

Strangely, the Merseysiders have a goal difference of plus eight while United's is down on -2 as a result of Liverpool's 9-0 hammering of Bournemouth and United's huge losses to Brentford and Manchester City. Both of these results occurred earlier in the season.

To tell you the truth, however, that is completely irrelevant at this juncture. Despite the fact that they were humiliated at the Etihad Stadium, United appear to be embarking on a path toward improvement, but it is quite evident that Liverpool are not even close to their best form at this point. Unquestionably, the Red Devils will need to negotiate a greater number of obstacles along the way.

On the other hand, based on all we know about them and what we have seen from them in recent years, Klopp's team will, without a doubt, click at some time and get it right. They have the potential to win eight or nine games in a row and completely alter the trajectory of the competition inside the division.

Because of this, despite the fact that they have been performing below expectations so far, they will still end up placing higher than United after the season is over.

Andy Dunn

Because there is more than just one thing going wrong in the Liverpool camp right now, Manchester United is in a position to gain an edge that will be difficult for Jurgen Klopp's team to overcome.

Luis Diaz is currently injured, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk appear to be thoroughbreds that have gone lame, Jordan Henderson, the team captain, cuts a deeply frustrated figure, Mohamed Salah appears to have signed off when he signed the new contract, and Jurgen Klopp is beginning to come across as a touch world-weary.

You can't help but wonder if the manner in which they 'failed' in the Premier League and Champions League has had a psychological impact on them despite the fact that they won two trophies in the previous campaign.

They should easily rack up wins over clubs with less financial resources given that Erik ten Hag has United performing adequately and Casemiro has undoubtedly already established himself as an automatic starter.

If you had said that before the start of the season, people would have given you some strange glances, but based on what we've seen so far, I think Manchester United will end up finishing ahead of Liverpool.

Alan Smith
No. The season has just begun, but it already seems unlikely that Liverpool will finish behind United. The Reds have a higher ceiling than their competitors, while their competitors have a lower floor.

Regardless of how poorly Klopp's team is currently playing, there is a sense that they are still not all that far away from going on a winning streak. Mo Salah could stand to benefit from the break caused by the World Cup, and the defense absolutely needs to get tighter.

In the meantime, Ten Hag's team has so much more to demonstrate, and the situation with Cristiano Ronaldo is still untenable, despite the fact that he made an appearance off the bench the other night.

Then again, does it really make a difference when it seems likely that neither will be in the top four and when, already, the best they can hope for is to get stuck on the Thursday-Sunday hamster wheel?

This is James Nursey.

Manchester United won their first game of the season against Liverpool back in August, and the Red Devils are currently on track to finish higher in the Premier League standings than their archrivals from Anfield.

After getting off to a terrible start with back-to-back defeats, United are starting to find their footing again under their new manager Erik ten Hag.

The Old Trafford club has won five of their previous six games in the Premier League and are in good form heading into three consecutive home matches in the League and Europe to make further advancements in their standing.

Liverpool, on the other hand, has been astonishingly inconsistent this season, and even their normally rock solid performance at home has let them down.

United already has a five-point lead over Liverpool, and it appears that they are going to be able to extend that lead in the weeks to come.

However, the schedules of both teams include enticing matchups against one another, which means that the rivalry has a good chance of continuing until the very end of the season.